Baseball

What used to be one of baseball's most magical numbers — 61 home runs — now sits buried, eight lines deep, in the Major League Baseball record book.

NEW YORK (AP) — The average time of a nine-inning major league baseball game dropped to 2 hours, 36 minutes in the second year year of the pitch clock, the lowest since 1984. The average was down 4 minutes from 2023 and 28 minutes from 2022.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani was already a superstar with his hitting and pitching accomplishments over six years with the Los Angeles Angels .

NEW YORK (AP) — Dan Iassogna, Alfonso Márquez, Bill Miller and Alan Porter will be the umpire crew chiefs for baseball’s Wild Card Series this week, with Iassogna and Porter serving in the role for the second straight year.

NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Rose, baseball’s career hits leader and fallen idol who undermined his historic achievements and Hall of Fame dreams by gambling on the game he loved and once embodied, has died. He was 83.

NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Rose, baseball’s career hits leader and fallen idol who undermined his historic achievements and Hall of Fame dreams by gambling on the game he loved and once embodied, has died. He was 83.

Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani has put up some of the best regular-season numbers in baseball history over the past six months. Bobby Witt Jr. is a precocious 24-year-old who just won the American League batting title.

ATLANTA (AP) — These New York Mets know a thing or two about comebacks. They saved their best one for the final day of the regular season.

ATLANTA (AP) — A final day that wasn't on the schedule and won't soon be forgotten. An improbable comeback by the New York Mets in the opening game of a makeup doubleheader to secure their playoff berth.

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale, the favorite for the National League Cy Young Award, is out for the Wild Card Series against the San Diego Padres because of back issues.